by Joshua Hook | Oct 7, 2018 | Responsibility
We were taught from a young age that it’s good to be responsible. At its core, being responsible means you are accountable for your actions. In other words, you’re in control of how you act and behave. Outside My Control Sometimes external events happen that are...
by Joshua Hook | Aug 24, 2018 | Grace
A few years ago, I spent the Labor Day weekend in Holland, Michigan, connecting with some good friends from graduate school. Holland is a beautiful small town in Western Michigan. We caught up, ate great food, hiked the sand dunes, and swam in Lake Michigan. The...
by Joshua Hook | Aug 17, 2018 | Humility
I love reading the Gospels. I think part of the reason is that throughout my life, no matter how frustrated or upset I have been with religion, I always liked Jesus. I always thought he was on point with what he said and did. As much as I thought those WWJD (What...
by Joshua Hook | Aug 8, 2018 | Conflict
When you are trying to work out a conflict with someone, it is helpful to ask yourself 2 questions. These questions focus on identifying and resolving the underlying needs that are fueling the conflict. Let me explain a bit more about what I mean: Usually when we have...
by Joshua Hook | Jul 25, 2018 | Love
I recently watched the Mr. Rogers documentary. In addition to bringing back fond memories of my childhood, I was struck by how clearly Mr. Rogers tapped into our deepest need as human beings: the need to be loved just as we are. Mr. Rogers’ Purpose When asked about...
by Joshua Hook | Jul 13, 2018 | Love
I like to evaluate my actions or behaviors through the lens of whether or not they are consistent with loving God and loving others. Loving Others I think I have a pretty good idea of what it means to love others. Loving others is difficult to do in practice. But I...
by Joshua Hook | Apr 18, 2018 | Helping
A common dilemma in life is how to help without enabling. Here’s what I mean: It’s natural to want to help others who are in need. We all need help sometimes, and it’s important to use our time, money, and resources to help people who are struggling. Also, if you...
by Joshua Hook | Mar 23, 2018 | Love
I read a book once in which the author said we should interpret the Bible through the lens of the Greatest Commandment. The Greatest Commandment If you aren’t familiar with the greatest commandment, there is a passage in the Bible where a religious teacher asked...
by Joshua Hook | Feb 22, 2018 | Conflict
Historically, Christians haven’t been good at working out their differences in community. Instead, the more common scenario is that a church or denomination disagrees over a particular issue, people pick sides, and the church or denomination splits. I think we could...
by Joshua Hook | Feb 13, 2018 | Relationships
In honor of Valentine’s Day, I want to talk to you about a simple rule that can help you have a better marriage or dating relationship. But before I tell you the rule, I want to share a bit about how it came about. John Gottman and the Love Lab A professor named...
